The Legend of Rasul: Hands of Darkness
by TriforceP
Summary: Five years ago, the Hero of Time vanquished Ganondorf, the Prince of Darkness, and sealed him in the Sacred Realm... and then he disappeared. All seemed at peace, and Hyrule began to rebuild. But, like all peaces, it wouldn't last. A strange rock landed in the Gerudo Desert, mutating its people, who spread the contagion to others. And so the last servants of Ganon struck back.
1. A New Beginning

_It's been an age and a half since I updated this site, but I've been working on this for a while and decided to just start getting it out. It's the novelization of an RP I've been playing for going on two years now. The first chapter's short, but more will come soon. The story's already written - it just needs to be adapted._

 _Edit 10/9/18: Just some minor text fixes. No details of the story have been changed, but I wanted to go over this with a fine-toothed comb. Had two guys act as editors before going over it myself one more time. Changed some dialogue and added more actions to give the scenes more flavor. But as a whole, you don't need to reread this - or any other updated chapter - in order to enjoy it. I did this to the first five chapters, so keep that in mind if you're rereading this._

* * *

Darkness.

Peace.

Tennor sat at the bottom of the lake, staring at the inky blackness before him. It was quiet, and that was all he wanted.

The sun was just coming over the horizon, its first rays kissing the shoreline. It wouldn't be long before light would flood his sanctuary, ending his moments of contemplation, but he silently hoped for these last few minutes to last forever.

The dark, the quiet... sometimes, it almost helped him forget.

The water around him rippled slightly. It wasn't any of the creatures of the lake - he knew their movements. The fish were slight, their movements blending in with the waves lapping on the shore above, the moving water but a gossamer sensation on his skin. No, this was something new. Something unnatural.

Slowly, Tennor began to surface. As he rose, a figure came into view. He took note of what he saw. Their face looked Hylian, and their armor - that of the Knights of Hyrule - seemed to agree with that fact. The armor itself was in need of some love, but looked sturdy and fit well. Medium build. Deep blue eyes. Probably female, but her red hair was cut short. It wouldn't be hard to mistake her for a man. But, most importantly, they looked healthy. Even if she was dangerous, he felt confident in his ability to escape to the lake. It was worth a shot to make his presence known.

"Good morning," Tennor announced, stepping into the waist-deep shallows.

The Hylian looked surprised, but only for a second. Her eyes slid up and down the Zora, no doubt making a similar check as he'd done moments before. It seemed he fit her qualifications for safety, as she began her own introduction, "Good morning. My name is Mailan Bannikur," she glanced warily downwards at the edge of the water before offering her hand. She moved forward slightly, but her feet remained planted on dry land.

Something about this woman seemed familiar to Tennor, but he couldn't quite place it. However, he'd come across many people in his day. He dismissed the importance of any prior knowledge of each other - their past lives held no sway any more, "A pleasure. What brings you here?" noting Mailan's hesitance to get her feet wet, he took the initiative to approach and grasped her hand in a firm shake.

"I heard that you're willing to act as a guide to travellers in these parts," she told him.

"You've heard correctly."

"I need one. I have to get to Kakariko Village, and this isn't exactly the safest time to be travelling alone."

Tennor nodded in agreement, "It's a dangerous world these days. Give me a few moments and I'll join you."

He turned towards the abandoned building he used to hold the tools of his trade, but she stopped him, "What would you like for payment?"

Tennor turned to her and raised an eyebrow, "It's the end of the world, Miss Bannikur. Of what use is money?"

He returned a few minutes later in his own armor. On his head sat a bronze helmet that carried back over part of his head-fin. The front fell halfway down his face, the only uncovered spaces being the holes his dark eyes peered out of. His chest piece was a light, sleeveless chainmail bearing three blue circles. He held a gleaming spear, shining as if he had spent many hours polishing it. The regular gear for a Zora guard, "Let's be on our way."


	2. Finding the Way

_Let's talk about the characters for a bit._

 _Tennor is my character. I know, big shocker to everyone. He was based on a character I made when I was 14 for a different roleplay, and I actually kind of took that roleplay as an inspiration for a more interesting backstory. I won't go into too much more detail here, as that will eventually be explored._

 _Mailan was played by Kristopher Cain. Unfortunately, she chose to leave the site in favor of this thing called "real life", though we still chat every few weeks. Sad, but she seems to be in a good place._

 _This chapter and the first were actually originally one, but I liked the ending to Chapter 1 so much that I felt like it had to have a chapter ending on its own. I probably shouldn't have separated them, but I did, so oh well._

* * *

It was a silent hike, with Tennor walking a few feet ahead of his client, eyes swiveling across the overgrown trail, in search of any signs of... well, anything. It took Mailan half an hour to try and break the ice with her new companion, "So what's your story?"

Tennor waited a second to collect his thoughts before replying, "I was a bodyguard back in the day. As was my father. He was the captain of the guards for most of my childhood, and effectively second to the king himself. After their generation was over with, I took my turn, serving as captain beneath Qu-" he hesitated for a second before clearing his throat, "Beneath Queen Ruto. And now, with the my queen and the rest of my people gone... well, I think it's all I know how to do."

Tennor couldn't see, but Mailan's mouth twitched into a small smile when he stuttered. Not a smirk, but a sad smile of understanding.

"You and the Queen... were you close?"

"About as close as a guard and a queen can be I suppose," the former steel had returned to his voice, "If I may so ask, what awaits you in Kakariko?" The last sentence held a warning, an iron curtain that hung in the air between them. Mailan's line of questioning was over.

"I've heard recently," she replied, "That the village is still safe. The walls that kept the city protected from the beasts of the mountain and the stalfolk of the field had been able to shield it from the infected as well. I'm hoping to join them."

This was news to Tennor. There was still a settlement out there? A community of regular people? It sounded too good to be true. But he wasn't one to put her down. Hope was something rare in this time; best let her cherish it... and maybe consider feeling it himself.

Tennor was surprised how good of time the two were making. Usually his clients were slower, either out of shape or overencumbered. Mailan, however, was neither of those things. It was a pleasant surprise to say the least. As they were, it would take the pair around a day to reach Kakariko.

As they approached the large field that took up a majority of the once-great kingdom, Tennor began listening, searching for any attackers lying in wait. The field was no doubt the most dangerous place in Hyrule. Even back before, the place was crawling with monsters. But they were all gone now. Scared of what had replaced them no doubt: the infected.

When the disease began to spread beyond the desert, the first major outbreak was in Castle Town. Fearing for their lives, the Hylians left the city, not realizing that they'd be trapped in the field. The landscape was all well and good for when you didn't care about leaving Hyrule, and even highly defensible in case of invasion, but the sheer cliffs were prison walls for those refugees. They couldn't escape then, and even now, without pursuit, many were still unable to do so.

Not that the creatures really wanted to. Foolish travelers came through here all the time to sate their appetites.

 _Foolish indeed_ , Tennor thought to himself.

But this was the only way for them to go. The back roads to the village all spent a large amount of time trekking Death Mountain, and while there are more mutants in the field, he'd rather deal with ten Hylian mutates than a single Goron.

Upon reaching the break into the field, Tennor was relieved to see only one mutant, off in the distance. They must be congregating elsewhere. Hopefully not after some poor soul whose life was about to become a brief living hell. He pushed the thought out of his mind... right now, he needed to focus.

"So," Tennor started, "Our best bet is to go straight across. Make a beeline for-"

Mailan stopped him and produced a map from her bag, "This is the safest route. Going straight across, we lose our cover fairly quickly. We'd have to extend our trip into the nighttime, but I know about a safehouse on the way there that should be safe for us still," she gestured to a large red X on the map.

Tennor took the map and looked at it, surprised. Most of the people who came to him just listened to what he said. Even more surprising, though, was that Mailan's plan was sound. While he didn't cherish spending the night anywhere near the accursed field, losing cover was just as dangerous. Her map had them following the forests that sat on the edge of the field, and avoiding the farm entirely. But most important was the safehouse. If they wanted to make it to the village in one go, they would have to walk through the night. If the place was fortified, not only would they have protection for a time, but they would be able to rest, making the latter parts of their journey safer, "To the safe house then."


	3. The Stoic Rogue

_The going will be slow for the next month or so. I'm still in school until June 15, so I have more important things to focus on than writing (sadly). But here's chapter 3!_  
 _Today we're introduced to the third member of the party, who... well, I don't want to say much about them. Let's just see what you think._

* * *

And so their trek began. Mailan reflected on what they had to look forward to. Silent hours of just... walking. She would've appreciated some conversation to distract her from the nervousness in the pit of her stomach, but Tennor hadn't exactly been very talkative ever since she tried digging a little too deep into his personal life But still, her interest was piqued by his denial of any conversation related to Queen Ruto. She had ideas on what might've happened, but without him speaking to her, she wouldn't know for sure. After a few more prods to try and get him to talk about... well, anything, she gave up.

The optimist in her hoped that their hike would go without incident, and they would be able to reach Kakariiko by the next morning. However, it turned out to be the realist who was right. A few hours into the field, Mailan noticed a shape in the trees ahead and stopped. Tennor continued to move, not noticing, until she reached over and grabbed him by the shoulder, pulling him back. She quickly pointed towards a tall tree around twenty meters away, upon which stood a lone figure. They were just a silhouette against the sun, and neither traveller could make out any detail.

"Do you think a mutant could climb a tree at all?" Tennor whispered, "I... I think they may be living."

Tennor was right. Coordination wasn't exactly something the creatures were known for. A mutant would sooner uproot a tree than climb it. But just because they were a survivor didn't mean that they were friendly. Based on his expression, her companion had the same thing on his mind. If they were friendly, they could be helpful. If they weren't, then they could be just as dangerous as a mutant. Maybe even moreso.

The silhouette looked down and locked eyes with Mailan. There was something unnerving about them. Something almost alien.

"Hello?"

The figure stared down at them for a second before speaking, "Who are you?" it asked, "What do you want?" they couldn't make out much from the muffled voice. Race, age, gender... nothing. But there was one thing she was able to tell - the person was as nervous as they were.

This knowledge giving her courage, she stepped forward, "My name is Mailan, and this here is Tennor. We were just passing through the area, and we apologize if we bothered you at all," she stepped closer again, trying to make out more of the other person. They were covered in dark, flowing clothes, almost as if they were trying to keep people from being able to do just that. They were even wearing a mask, hence the muffled voice, "If you'd like, you can come with us. We have a safe place to stay the night and are heading towards a community of survivors," she noted something in their hands. It looked like an old loaf of bread - probably stale, unless somehow she'd managed to bake some bread all the way out here, "And we have fresh food. You must be starving out here on your own," Tennor shot her a glance of warning, but didn't raise any vocal dissent to the invitation.

The other person leaped out of the tree, landing softly in the long grass below. They looked the pair over from afar for a solid minute before continuing, "My name is Iris," the figure finally spoke, "As long as it's no trouble, I would like to come."

With that line, the nervousness melted away. The sense of mysterious bravado Iris had been sending off before was gone now, replaced with something more genuine. Tennor remained a little stiff. He was still leery of the stranger, but Mailan wasn't quite as worried. "Welcome to the party then, Iris."

Slowly, warily, Iris approached them. As she did, they could see more. Iris's body appeared feminine, and as Mailan heard her voice more, she became more sure of that fact. The mask appeared to be stone bearing an unsettling red eye.

Behind her, the Zora finally relented, loosening his muscles. He took a step forward and offered a hand to Iris. At this, the girl paused for a second, thinking, before tentatively reaching out and shaking it.

"A pleasure to meet you, Iris," Tennor told her.


	4. A Safe Place

_Well, I got another chapter out. I originally planned for this part to be shorter, but I also should've made this part of Chapter 3. When I saw how little was in this chapter I expanded it so it would be the size of a regular chapter. Chapters 1 and 2 should've been one as well if I'm being honest with you._

* * *

Despite the warm welcome, Mailan noticed that Iris still hadn't taken off her mask. After the cold reception she'd gotten when trying to learn more about Tennor, though, she decided not to press the issue. Still, she had to wonder what the girl was hiding.

"So where are you two going exactly?" Iris asked, "In the long term. You mentioned some kind of community of survivors?"

"Kakariko," Tennor replied, "According to Mailan here, it's apparently fortified and full of the living... though admittedly I have my doubts."

"Kakariko is safe. Trust me," Mailan replied firmly. Unconsciously, she gripped the triangular, golden pendant around her neck.

"I went to Kakariko a few days ago," Iris replied, "That was where I was able to get my hands on this bread. There was life there, but I dunno whether it was people in their right mind or if it was mutated ones. I never went close enough to anyone to find out..."

Mailan paused in her thoughts when she heard that, "When you were there, did you see...?"

"I didn't see anyone," Iris told her, "I got in, got what I needed, and got out. Are you looking for someone?"

Mailan's hand squeezed the golden triangle harder, "Yeah."

Tennor gave her a knowing stare. A quick glance in his direction allowed her to see him putting the pieces together in his head. He knew.

The Zora gave her a comforting pat on the back, "We'll know when we get there," he told her simply. His voice was filled with understanding... he'd lost someone too. She couldn't tell if it was recent or a while ago, but he understood what she was going through.

"We need to move quickly," Mailan reminded them, turning away and wiping a quick tear from her eye, "We still have a long way to go before dark."

The building they found was a veritable fortress hidden within the woods. The outer walls were all natural - trees and bushes used to hide the building inside. Anyone looking from the outside would assume it was just a small cluster of plants. The citadel itself was made of a heavy, ivy-covered stone, granite maybe. Mailan had been here quite a few times, though it had been a long time. It was Zelda's favorite place to get away. Hidden away from the world, far off the beaten path. Zelda had once mentioned that this place was where she'd waited for the Hero of Time to awaken.

Despite his great deeds, Mailan had learned to have a small well of hatred for that knight. Even though he was no longer among them, Zelda always spoke of him fondly, and the look in her eyes whenever she talked about the boy in green...

Passing those thoughts out of her mind, as she'd learned to do, Mailan waded through the flora. The door was blocked for now by only a single lock, which was removed usinh a small key she carried. The others followed behind her. There was a small kitchenette on one side of the room, and some chairs. Not far away, a door led to a silent yet ornate bedroom. On the wall across from the door was a ladder, which led down to a storage room and up to the roof. The light of the sunset flowed in from above, through an innate stained glass window featuring a blonde girl holding a set of triangles. Once more, Mailan's hand went to her neck. Maybe coming here was a mistake. It was safe, sure, but there were a lot of memories here that weren't conductive to her own survival.

She was brought out of her thoughts as Tennor loudly slammed the door behind them. He gave them an apologetic wave before quietly lowering the long timber to lock them in. A quick search of the building, as expected, returned no results of any fellow survivors or hidden dangers.

"We'll be safe in here. Go ahead and get comfortable. I'm going up to the roof."

Shutting the trap door below her, Mailan observed her two companions in the room below. They talked for a little bit before Tennor gestured towards the separated bedroom. Iris gave him a curt nod and disappeared into the room, while Tennor took a seat in one of the large chairs. He dropped his bag on the ground and leaned his spear against the wall, sinking into the soft cushion.

Moving away from the window, she stood and peered over the trees, out across the field. The sun was low, and she watched it set slowly, disappearing over the horizon as the world became darker.

I'll find you, she thought to herself, Whatever it takes.


	5. Inner Thoughts

_I should be coming out with these more regularly again. It just takes a while for me to get used to a 12 hour work schedule._  
 _I like how I came into this chapter expecting it to be the first real actiony chapter written, and then proceeded to write an inner monologue portion longer than most previous chapters. Nice work Chase._  
 _Also, I plan on updating some of the earlier chapters later on, so if you have any suggestions for things to change, to add, or just generally some weird portions that could use reworded, feel free to mention them in PMs or comments, and I'll take those into account when the time comes._  
 _Thanks for reading!_

* * *

Tennor slept on the couch that night. And it was the best sleep he'd had in months. While at Lake Hylia he had felt alone, here he truly felt safe. He had spent what remained of the previous night exploring the small building, and had found it to be well-fortified and secure - two things sadly lacking in his former place of residence.

Awakening from his deep snooze, he found Mailan asleep on the chair across from him. Apparently she'd decided to return to the inside of the building after he had fallen asleep - which seemed like a pretty logical choice, all things considered.

His eyes drifting around the room more, Tennor realized that another of his companions had been the first to wake up: Iris. She had taken Mailan's place on the roof, reading a book as the first rays of the morning sun grazed their haven. As if realizing she was being watched, the black-clad girl instinctively glanced through the window below her, spotting the inquisitive Zora. He gave her a friendly wave, which she ignored, wordlessly returning to her book.

Climbing the ladder the first time since the group's arrival, he found himself in a mess of trees. While the building was taken care of, this roof likely served as a viewing platform, allowing the residents to see across the vast expanse of Hyrule Field. However, lack of maintenance had caused the trees to grow to the point where they obscured almost all of the world around them. Glancing around, the only landmark he could see was the towering mass of Death Mountain, as always looming over the land of Hyrule. For the first time, he realized how far the small group had travelled over the course of a single day.

"You know," he told Iris, climbing onto the battlements on the edge of the building, "The mountain isn't all that far off. If we left soon, we could probably make it to Kakariko by suppertime."

Glancing back, he noticed that his companion seemed tense. He couldn't see her face, but her posture seemed slightly less relaxed. While she didn't utter a word or acknowledge his existence, her body language had given her away. The Zora pursed his lips for a second, but after thinking back on previous attempts to start conversation with the girl on more trivial matters, he concluded that he would have no luck in this endeavor either, telling himself he'd understand at a later time.

The Zora looked at the trees around them, trying to determine how he would go about climbing them for a better view, when he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. Something subtle. His eyes darting in that direction, he saw that Mailan had woken up too, and was just staring into the empty building. Just like the previous day, he saw her clutching something around her neck. Seeing that, he was reminded of the heavy weight of the amulet that he, too, carried around his neck, hidden beneath his armor. His fingers had traced those blue gemstones hundreds of times, enough so that he knew every face and nick by heart. In his darkest times, that symbol had given him strength.

Mailan suddenly glanced upwards and caught him staring at her. They shared a gaze for a moment, each processing the other's expression. For a brief moment, it felt like Tennor was staring into a mirror.

The two then looked away just as quickly, feeling both exposed and relieved. Looking over at Iris, he noted that she apparently hadn't noticed the exchange. Their third companion's gaze had remained fixed on the book. He gave an internal sigh of relief before tapping her shoulder, "Mailan's up. Let's get going."

While the day before the group only had a few short conversations, today's travels were somehow even quieter. Tennor could feel an awkward tension hanging in the air between him and Mailan. Despite her ignorance earlier of their quick exchange, even Iris seemed to notice it, and would occasionally glance back and forth between the two of them, trying to piece together what was happening.

They had walked for about an hour when something rustled in the trees a few yards away. Tennor and Mailan had been so focused on ignoring the tension that it had escaped their notice, leaving Iris the only one to see what was coming.

"Get down!" she yelled, as what could only be described as a beast crashed through the trees towards them. Tennor had to dive away to avoid getting hit by its initial charge. He attempted to roll back into a standing position, but he was a little rusty, and instead got a faceful of dirt. Mailan had been better prepared, leaping the opposite direction from him and already unsheathing her blade. Iris was nowhere to be seen. Having dropped the spear in his fall, Tennor quickly climbed to his feet and retrieved his weapon, looking at their aggressor.

He imagined that it had once been Hylian. Its skin was light and fleshy, between the pussey sores that covered its body. Its matted brown hair was partially covering its eyes and trailing down its back, stopping a little below the neck. It was around seven feet tall, and bulging with muscular tissue. Its eyes were bloodshot, with only hints of the green that had once been the prominent color.

Tennor hated thinking too much about these things. It always reminded him that there had been a point when these... creatures... had been regular members of society, with lives and friends and families. But, each time they were met with these hulking masses, he could still notice their similarities to their uninfected selves.

It sickened him. But he knew what they had to do.

Tennor threw a rock at the beast to get its attention, "Hey!" he yelled loudly, "Over here!"

With heaving breaths and heavy steps, it turned in his direction and smiled a rotting, toothy grin, before running at him again. As it approached, he held out his spear, ready to turn the thing into a moving kebab. To his dismay, though, he had placed his weapon too early, and the monster stopped just short of it, choosing instead to grab the fish-man. Tennor struggled to get free, but he was being squeezed too tightly to do anything.

"Close your eyes!" a voice called. Tennor barely had time to do so before a loud cracking noise could be heard below him. His ears popped, but he found that the creature had stopped struggling. Using the momentary loosening of the giant's grip to squeeze out of its enclosed fist, he found himself landing on broken brown shells, with the creature above him looking pale, almost bluish, staring straight ahead. Mailan stood behind it, holding a second deku nut, ready for the thing to move again. And move it did - the nut only stopped it for a few seconds before it came roaring back into consciousness.

Mailan threw another, but she looked worried. Tennor understood - this was only a temporary solution. Deku nuts were always more of a backup weapon, and weren't meant for dealing with any opponents for more than a few seconds

Swiftly, Tennor grabbed his spear and tried stabbing it. The beast, however gave no reaction to the wound. It bled a little, but in its brief moments of consciousness, its movement didn't seem to be dampened at all. Pulling it out, he jumped away to avoid another nut aimed for the monster, "We need a new plan," he told her, glancing around.

Suddenly, with a flash of light, a figure appeared above the monster, ramming into the back of its neck. At that same moment, it became lucid again, and yelled. The yell seemed more surprised than pained, but it was more damage than the others had been able to deal so far.

Looking at its back, they saw Iris clinging to the rags that were once its clothing, trying her best to hold on. And Tennor had to give her credit - she was doing exceptionally well for the situation they were in.

"Go!" she yelled, "I'll catch up!" with another flash of light, she disappeared again, this time landing in front of the mutant. It tried to slam its fist down at her, but in another blinding flash she was gone, appearing again another ten meters ahead. The monster began sprinting, only for her to disappear again, popping into view even farther away from the group.

Tennor and Mailan began sprinting away.

They didn't need to be told twice.


	6. Paradise Found

_I just felt really inspired last night and decided to finish Chapter 6. It's kind of a short one comparatively, but thing should be getting going from here. And hopefully my writing will too - I'm back in school, and this is a good way to unwind in the evenings I've found._

 _In this chapter, we're briefly introduced to Dente, a character played by the great Mido (no relation to the Boss of the Kokiri). Despite not being my character, he becomes one of my favorites. Hope you guys enjoy it!_

* * *

After about five minutes, Mailan was sure they'd escaped the beast. Signalling to her slightly slower companion, she came to a halt, leaning against a tree. Tennor slowed down too, bending over his knees to catch his breath. The two sat there for a short time in complete silence, with the only sounds being their heavy breathing.

After a few minutes, Tennor finally spoke, "That was stronger than most of the ones I've seen,' he admitted, "It didn't even feel pain..."

Mailan nodded, "Yeah, a couple of them are like that. Usually the ones that had been infected for longer periods of time is my guess. The longer they're like that, the more parts of them die, until they do nothing but move and eat. It's terrifying honestly," she slowly rose to a more upright position, squaring her shoulders, "How do you think Iris is doing?"

Tennor thought back to the last they'd seen of their companion. He had never seen a person move that fast before, "She's probably fine. I doubt the beast will catch up to her. The bigger question is if she'll come back."

"She knows where we're going," Mailan pointed out, "Kakariko isn't hard to find."

"That isn't what I meant," the Zora replied, "She didn't really seem... comfortable around us. She obviously isn't a very social person, plus I really don't think she wanted to go to Kakariko."

Mailan raised an eyebrow, "What makes you think that? Why wouldn't she want to find a safe place?"

"When I mentioned our arrival this morning, she seemed tense. Something was off about her. Maybe she has a bad history there, or maybe she knows something we don't."

Mailan thought for a few seconds, processing that, and simply sighed, "Well, either way, I hope she's okay."

Within a few hours, the pair could see the outer wall of Kakariko Village. It was larger than either of them remembered; no doubt reinforced to turn away the oncoming hordes. With a renewed sense of hope, the two sped up, approaching the hulking structure before them.

As they entered the shadow of the mountain, they were surprised to see Iris jog towards them. And not from behind either; she was actually ahead of them.

"Iris, how did you..."

"You took your sweet time," she responded quickly, "I was waiting for the both of you before going inside."

Mailan nodded, "Thanks." Together, the three approached the city. Upon reaching the wall surrounding it, Tennor knocked on it, hoping that would draw attention to them.

And so it did. A minute or so later, a head popped out from a hole in the wall, staring down at them. It belonged to a man with a well-kept ponytail and the shadow of a beard, "Hey! Are you folks all right?" he seemed friendly enough, stretching his hand towards them, "I assume you folks are looking for shelter, and since you don't appear to be infected, I'd be willing to let you in. We could use the extra manpower."

"Told you," Mailan said under her breath to Tennor before turning to speak to the man over the wall, "Thank you, sir!" Mailan called. She reached her hand out to shake it, only to suddenly feel her feet be lifted from the ground. She squealed a little from surprise as the man heaved her into the hole using just one arm. When she was safely inside, he offered the same to Tennor. Now knowing how this was going to work, Tennor did his best to help make lifting him easier, grabbing onto the edge with his free hand. He could see a small hint of thanks in the man's gaze.

They all three turned towards Iris, only to find that she was gone again. That was when Mailan noticed that she'd gotten up to them without any help or anyone noticing. It surprised their new benefactor, but he took it in stride, stretching his obviously tired arm, "Name's Dente," he told them, "Welcome to Kakariko."

Walking down the ramp and into the village, Dente began giving them the tour, "Have you folks been to Kakariko before?"

Tennor nodded, and Mailan gave a verbal confirmation. Iris didn't react, too distracted looking around. A few people gave her weird looks, but she didn't pay them any mind.

Dente ignored her and continued talking, "We built up the walls towards the field and the mountain, and cut off the graveyard, though we still use it for its intended purpose when the unfortunate need arises," he gestured towards a building across the way, "We converted the old shooting gallery to a supply shed. You can get food there at meal times. Our elder will choose places for the three of you to stay when he has a chance to meet you, but I'm afraid he's busy at the moment. Unless you know anyone here already?"

With the question, Mailan began searching the compound, looking for a familiar face, "With any luck..."

Her throat caught up as she spied a blonde head up on the hill watching them. The pink dress, the look on her face... without a second thought, she began sprinting towards the stairs. The others followed behind her, confused and calling her name, but Mailan ignored them.

It was her.


	7. Loyal

_A short chapter, but it felt weird to continue it beyond what we have._

 _Good news is, the next little while will come quickly. I'm doing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) next month on this story, and hope to write 50,000 words before November 30th. Wish me luck, and be looking forward to far more of this story!_

 _Honestly I'm wondering a lot about this chapter. I have no regrets for anything written here, but I'm not sure what people will think of it, though it's been kinda foreshadowed earlier._

 _Happy reading!_

* * *

Mailan rushed the stairs, surprising a guard who was standing by it. Another guard came towards her from the side, but she blasted past that one too. Mere yards from her target, a guard stepped directly in front of her. She tried to dodge to the side, but he reached out and grabbed her by the arm, giving her a sharp tug inwards, until she was inches from the man's spear. That sobered her up a little. She quickly stopped struggling and took a deep breath, drawing forth a voice slightly deeper than her normal one, but sounding surprisingly natural, "I'm not a threat to her."

The woman stood and walked over, a look of surprise on her face, "He speaks the truth," she replied after a moment, "He was one of my most loyal guardsmen before the outbreak. You can let him go, Sir Clark."

The guard nodded and let go of Mailan. She stood up and gave a deep bow, "My Queen."

Zelda gave a small smile, "You may stand. It is a pleasant surprise to see your survival, Sir Knight."

"The pleasure is all mine, m'lady," Mailan replied, straightening up.

"Sir Bannikur shall accompany me to my quarters," the Queen announced to her guards, "I have some questions for him regarding a small... sidequest I gave to him before Castle Town fell. Please stand watch outside. We shan't be long."

Mailan followed a respectable distance behind the royal personage, eyes locked to the ground. One guard held open the door, and the two entered, allowing it to shut completely before Mailan would again raise her gaze.

Zelda was just as she remembered. Her long blonde hair, her graceful movements, her calm yet warm voice… she had not changed at all.

They stood in silence for a moment, simply watching each other, before Zelda finally spoke, "Mailan..."

That was all she was able to get out before the girl wrapped her arms around the queen, "I'm so sorry I left you," she whispered, her voice returned to its regular pitch, "I should've stayed to protect you. It was my duty."

Zelda was surprised by the action, but she responded to the hug in kind, "Do not blame yourself," she responded, "It was by my orders that you left, and may I add, quite reluctantly."

Mailan looked up, staring into Zelda's knowing eyes, before leaning in and kissing her. The two shared their moment quietly before parting softly, yet reluctantly. Zelda quickly fixed her hair and Mailan returned to standing stiffly, as if the prior moment had not taken place,

"So, mission report?"

Mailan cleared her throat, "I was able to learn his location eventually. After he left the Shiekah, he spent some time traveling the country, searching out his family, before settling with one of his brothers amongst the Kokiri. Before I was able to track him down, however, I learned of Castle Town's ruin, and became... distracted from my charge."

"Understandably so," Zelda replied, "But he is alive?"

"Last I heard, though that was over a month ago. Anything can happen in this world."

"Then we'd best make our way to his location... though I can tell that you need a rest before you do much more travelling."

The knight gave a grateful nod. She hadn't wanted to mention it, but the constant travelling and worrying over the past few weeks had strained both her body and her mind. As much as she hated to admit it, Zelda's words rang true.

"I'll have the locals prepare a place for you. Did you have any travelling companions?"

"Two," Mailan told her, "A Zora guardsman named Tennor and a social outcast who has yet to tell either of us much of anything about herself other than her name, which is Iris."

Zelda seemed somewhat amused when Mailan mentioned her companion's names, but didn't mention "They are, of course, both welcome among us," Zelda replied, "Will they accompany us when we leave?"

"I find it likely Tennor will, though I'm not sure about Iris."

"Well, any help the two bring will be very welcome. I know Kakariko can't spare many of their able-bodied citizens."

The two walk towards the door, "You go find your friends. I'll arrange everything," Zelda announced. She reached for the handle and stopped partway there, "I love you. Thanks for finding me."

Mailan's face turned red, "Always."


	8. Tea Time

_This was a fun chapter to write. Honestly, Dente is my favorite of the main cast - and he isn't even my character! Mido, the guy who made Dente, is a great and funny guy who I'm happy to be working with. Hope you guys like him as much as I do._

* * *

The girl's sudden sprint surprised all three of her companions. By the time they processed her disappearance, she was already halfway to her destination, and they could do nothing but attempt to keep up. Dente wasn't great at running; his job usually called more for upper body strength than lower, and with a town this size there was no use running anywhere, so he quickly fell behind the other two. They stopped most of the way there, finally allowing the struggling gravedigger to catch up.

Looking beyond them, towards the place of their gaze, he noted that the red haired girl was bowing to the Queen. It suddenly made sense to him; she had been wearing the armor of a palace guard. It seemed like, at some point, she was one. He was surprised, since he wasn't aware the Hylian army took many women, but was glad to see what had to have been a weight lifted off of her shoulders.

After watching her go inside, Dente decided to get to know the other newcomers, especially if they were soldiers. They always needed more strong fighters to guard the walls, "Say, I don't believe I ever got your names."

The Zora thought for a second, "You're right. My name's Tennor, and that's I-"

"Irene," the girl said quickly. Based on her having cut off Tennor and the brief look of surprise on his face, Dente had to assume that the name given was a fake one. Odd… worth thinking about later. But now wasn't the time for such matters.

"Well, Tennor, Irene, I'll quickly get back to our little tour while, ah…"

"Mailan," Tennor replied, "Her name's Mailan."

"Ah yes, thank you," Dente told the man, "While Mailan is having audience with the Queen. Come along now," he led them around the village and showed them all the important places. The windmill, the well, the shooting range, the two gates, and, of course, the graveyard. It wasn't actually much to show, other than the massive increase in size over recent months, but he was proud of the place. It almost disturbed him, but he was sure it was more to do with all the hard work he'd put in rather than the massive number of bodies buried under the ground.

"Well, now that all that's taken care of, I don't think there's much left to do at the moment. The Elder is still out on business I'm afraid, and I don't want to get you folks set up with a place to stay while one of you is absent."

'Irene' gave a slight, uncomfortable nod, "I believe I'm going to do a little exploring of my own if you don't mind." Before the gravedigger could respond with even a nod, she vanished. It shocked Dente, but Tennor seemed oddly nonplussed. It must be a normal occurance for her. And so the plot thickens.

"Well, while it's just you and me around here, what say you and me go to my shack for a nice cup of tea, and you can tell me about yourself?" Dente suggested.

"That sounds nice."

The water boiled and the tea poured, Dente carried the pot to the small table. He noted that the ceiling was a little low for his guest to stand comfortably, but sitting he appeared to be just fine. Pouring the cups, Dente sat opposite him, "So tell me Tennor, what manner of man are you?"

"That's an odd way to phrase the question," Tennor chuckled.

"I find that the most interesting questions have the most interesting answers." Dente rebutted, "And admittedly, hiding the lack of interesting qualities in my own history."

"Now you have me wondering."

"I'm afraid more talking and waiting on the subject will only leave you more disappointed," he admitted, "So to prevent that I guess I'll begin. I grew up in the desert…"

"Among the Gerudo?" Tennor asked, a shocked look on his face.

"No, no, I unfortunately haven't spent much time with those…. Ah, lovely women," a flicker of distaste crossed his face as he mentioned them, "We were a nomadic people. A group of odds and ends, left to rot in a place inhospitable to man. But we somehow survived. Sometime within the realm of my adulthood - too long ago for me to care to remember - I left that land and traveled to the green fields of Hyrule, seeking a better life. Kakariko had just recently been opened up to non-Shiekah at the time, so I took up residence here. When old man Dampe died, it was me who buried him, and I guess by some ceremonial right - or lack of people wanting to do the job - I took up the position."

Tennor smiled, "Sounds interesting to me."

It suddenly hit Dente that he'd said a lot more than he expected to. Usually when he talked about his history, he didn't say very much, just commenting on how he got his position of gravedigger. But with this gentleman, the words seemed to roll off of his tongue. He hardly knew the man, but he felt as if they understood each other on some deeper level. It comforted him a little; he hadn't always had a good life, and not many people in Kakariko could understand him on that level. But already from just a few minutes of banter, he started to feel like Tennor understood.

"Trust me," Dente replied quickly, "If you lived it, it wouldn't seem that way to you," he leaned forward a little, "Now back to the initial question: what lies in your history?"

"I was a guard, son of a guard, and always destined to be a guard. I had my own sort of teenage rebellion that wound me up in a lot of trouble, Came home afterwards and realized that mysaid rebellion was a self-fulfilling prophecy, reminding me that I truly am my father's son, as much as I wished to be otherwise. Though by that point I didn't mind it as much; after my little taste of adventure, home was a welcome change of pace."

Dente nodded. He understood the feeling.

"You served the Zora queen then?"

Tennor smiled a little, "Yes. Yes I did."

That smile was something Dente recognized too, though for some reason it didn't immediately register where from. Had it really been that long since he'd had that kind of relationship with that one?

Dente suddenly felt very old, and very disturbed. But the smile remained on his face, "Quite interesting indeed."


	9. Denial

_It's a bit of a shorter chapter, more of a bridge than anything. The story will get moving again soon._

 _Also, thanks to DOOt76 for pointing out issues with some older chapters. I have no idea what happened there, but they should be fixed.  
_

* * *

Their conversation came to a halt when a knock came to the door. Tennor tensed a little surprise, and saw Dente give a little jump of his own. Quickly, his host leapt from his seat and ran for the doorway. Opening the door, he found himself face-to-face with Mailan.

"Ah! Mailan!" Dente said, smiling, "I see your conversation with the Queen is over, hm?"

"Yeah," she replied, glowing, "Are the others here?"

"Just me," Tennor called, standing from his seat, "Our roguish friend went for a little walk. How was it?"

"It went well," she told him, biting her lip to hold back her excitement a little, "She promised us a place to stay here in town."

That stopped him for a second. When he'd promised to come here with Mailan, he hadn't expected to actually stay around. He never did. Whenever his clients reached their destination, he would inevitably return to the lake so he could get back to waiting… and hoping.

"That's… that's nice," he offered, suddenly feeling the wind knocked out of his sails.

Mailan didn't seem to notice his change in mood though, "Excellent! Come on, I'll show you where she suggested putting us!"

The girl immediately turned to leave, while Tennor turned to Dente, "Thanks for the tea, Dente. It was nice."

Dente nodded, "A good time indeed. I'll talk to you soon."

The two men shook hands and, for the time, parted ways.

Mailan showed Tennor to a small building in the corner of the village. It already held a few people, but there were a few extra rooms open for the newcomers. Tennor sat down on the bed in his room and gazed at the wall. There was no window in this room, and it was so barren that was really all there was to look at. But he didn't mind.. .his thoughts laid elsewhere.

The question of whether or not to stay was still on his mind. The question of whether or not he should leave the lake had been gnawing at his mind for months. Yes, she would go there if she could, but the fact stood that she hadn't. He'd waited there for six months, helping passing travelers and hoping that she would show. But she never did. No travelers seemed to have heard from her, no Zora appeared in the lake with him… it felt so lonely.

Reaching into his armor, he pulled out the gemstone he carried around his neck. It was beautiful. Meticulously carved. Three pentagonal blue gems housed in gold. She'd given it to him not long ago, referring to it as an engagement ring. As was tradition in her family.

Tennor had always been loyal. That was, he liked to think, his defining trait. But this wasn't loyalty and he knew it. He'd known it for months, and he had never wanted to admit it. This was denial.

Denial that the woman he loved was dead.

And he couldn't shake the feeling that he could've stopped it from happening.

A knock on the door jolted him back into reality. Quickly stuffing it back beneath his chestplate, he cleared his throat and told the visitor to come in.

It turned out that, once again, it was Mailan. She was in much higher spirits than he - though based on their circumstances, that was unsurprising.

"It's not much, but it beats the ground," she admitted, "What do you think?"

"It's nice," Tennor admitted, "I haven't been anywhere this nice in a long time."

"So nice of the Queen to give us a place…" Mailan said, her eyes giving a distant look.

Tennor's eyes smiled, "You're terrible at hiding it. You know that, right?"

"What?" Mailan asked, genuinely confused.

Tennor laughed a little, "You and Zelda. You aren't entirely subtle."

Mailan's face drained a little, but that didn't last long, "When people aren't looking for it, you can have a little leeway. Especially now…" she sighed, "And it's not like you're very subtle about how your relationship was with Ruto."

Tennor's gaze dropped to the floor. Seeming to realize that she hit a nerve, Mailan tried to apologize, "I'm sorry, I was just…"

"No, don't be," he replied, "You aren't wrong. But we really didn't need to be. However, your circumstances are… very different. Just be careful."

"It's not the insult I apologized for. It's for reminding you. Before coming here, anything that reminded me of Zelda hurt. And I can only imagine you must feel the same way."

There was a long moment of silence. The sapphire around Tennor's neck felt heavier than it ever had.

"Yeah."


	10. Determination

_And things are starting to move again! Hurrah!_

 _For today's random piece of trivia, I'm going to mention that we actually took the time a few months back to cast actors as the main crew. Mailan is Violette Beane, Iris is Daisy Ridley, Dente is Andrew Lincoln and Zelda is Alexandra Daddario. I've been really wishy-washy about my Tennor casting, and at the moment I'm te_ ntat _ively settling on John Boyega. But feel free to give your suggestions for actors or make comments on these choices. As other characters get introduced, their actors will be revealed, but not until then._

 _Also, my writing was especially too fast this chapter, so extra shoutouts to my dear friend Domozilla777 (or "Atilla the Pun") for going above and beyond the call of duty in helping me edit this one. Wouldn't be able to do this without you bro._

* * *

That night, Mailan slept fitfully in her bed. Zelda wasn't far away, and, despite being even closer than they had in months, the distance was killing her more than ever. She wanted to be beside her at every moment… but it was harder to hide here, and as Tennor said, they were already toeing the line as it was. Eventually, however, the morning sun rose and she began to hear stirring in the main room. Deciding she'd rested enough, Mailan opened the door to join her fellow survivors.

She hadn't taken the time to look into the survivors the day before. She was far too distracted by everything going on. But now that she could, she was surprised to see how… similar everyone was. Hyrule in general was a very diverse kingdom, but just about everyone she saw was Hylian. No kokiri, no gerudo, a single Goron… and the only Zora around was Tennor. People did not seem to distrust him when he came out, but they did give him a few odd looks. It hit her that many of these people had never seen a Zora before. Despite there being so many kinds of people in Hyrule, most of them were very isolated. Mailan had gotten her fair share of exploration as Zelda's personal guard, but most people didn't have that.

Once her companion was up, they began to make their way towards the shooting gallery. As Dente had said, the people there were passing out rations amongst the arriving survivors. Taking their food, they chose to avoid the crowds. They'd both become accustomed to being alone, so this many people, even if it wouldn't have been many in the past, felt massive to them. They found a nice tree in the center of town and sat below it, looking at the far-off mountain range.

Something fell out of the tree, causing both of the eaters to pause and look. Surprise swept over both of their faces, it was Iris. Honestly, Mailan had forgotten that she had disappeared. Despite her helpfulness during their previous encounter with the mutant, she was always quiet and set Mailan ill at ease. Most of the talking that she had done lately had been only with Tennor. In addition,the lack of facial expression through her mask was almost haunting. In spite of that, the pair gladly welcomed her back and offered some of their food.

"Sir Bannikur!" came a call from behind them as their rations began to dwindle.

Turning back, Mailan made note of a young soldier running towards them. She looked away for a second and composed herself before standing. As before, her demeanor changed slightly. She was still recognizable, but certain attributes - her facial expression, her voice, her stance - all hinted at masculinity.

"Yes?"

"Queen Zelda has requested that you attend to her. She also wished to meet the companions you mentioned the other day."

Hearing her love's name, Mailan's heart skipped a beat, but her external facade didn't waiver, "Thank you . We shall attend to her shortly," once he was gone, she looked back at the group, her previous changes gone, "So how about it? Do you two want to come meet her?"

"I've met the Queen once or twice," Tennor responds, "but it has been some time, and it would be beneficial to give a real introduction."

The two turned to look at Iris, who simply nodded, "If you two are going, I may as well join you," she said with a flat voice. From her tone, Mailan guessed she wasn't very thrilled at the idea, but true to her word she followed them towards Zelda's house.

Unlike last time, upon their arrival, the guards chose not to try and stop her. It only took a small nod to get her and her companions into the building.

Zelda was wearing a simple pink dress when they entered, sitting by the window and holding a book. Mailan just wanted to stare at that sight all day, but it was not going to last. As soon as she heard the others entering, Zelda set down her book and smiled up at them, "A pleasure to meet you both."

Tennor stepped forward and gave a small bow, "A pleasure indeed, your majesty."

Iris gave a bow as well, though it wasn't quite as low and it looked like she wasn't quite accustomed to it. Despite this, Zelda gracefully laughed off her awkwardness, "Please, all of you, sit down."

Per her instructions, Mailan sat in the chair next to her, while Tennor and Iris took the couch across the way from them. It was silent for a moment before Zelda finally spoke, turning to Tennor, "If I recall correctly, the two of us have met before."

Tennor nodded, "Once or twice, ma'am. I was there during the reclamation of Hyrule Castle, and then we met a few other times while guarding my lady Ruto."

Upon hearing the name of her vassal, Zelda's face saddened, "I was wondering about her. Since you are here alone, am I to assume that she is no longer among us?"

Tennor's stomach lurched as he heard her say that, "The Domain fell to the oncoming hordes six months back, and we were separated during the escape. I have yet to see another Zora, Ruto or otherwise, since that unfortunate day."

A concerned look crossed Zelda's face, "I'm sorry to hear that, Tennor. I grant you my sincerest apologies."

"No need for you to apologize, m'lady," Tennor assured her, "It's my own fault for not doing my job."

"If you knew Ruto as well as I think you did, you would know she wouldn't want you to blame yourself."

Tennor didn't respond, instead staring down at the ground.

"And you," Zelda said next, turning to Iris, "Your name is Iris correct?"

"Yes."

The Queen's gaze slid over Iris's face, studying it the best she could, "I believe it's in everyone's best interests that our knowledge of you is kept as it is."

"If at all possible, that would be nice," Iris told her, "No offense to you or anything, I just… don't want to deal with that."

Zelda pursed her lips, "I see. Very well then. I'll keep our conversation of your past as it stands at the moment."

Iris gave what could be best construed as a thankful nod, but it was hard for Mailan to tell.

Finally, Zelda turned to Mailan, "And how aware are they of your history, my knight?"

Mailan hesitated a little, "Tennor knows, but Iris…"

Iris gave a stiff chuckle, "You're hopeless Mailan."

Everyone got a laugh out of that, even Zelda. It felt like the tension had died down a little.

"Mailan has told me that both of you fight well. Skillful, resourceful and courageous. Some of the most important traits for any warrior."

Iris seemed a little embarrassed by the compliment, but Tennor took it happily, "Thank you ma'am."

"I'm sure the village would be happy to have you both if you wished to stay and help defend it. They could always use more able-bodied soldiers, especially those with direct experience in fighting the mutants."

Iris shook her head, "I'm afraid that I'll have to pass on that offer, your highness. I'll stay in the city for a day or so more, but I'm afraid that the time I've spent here has already been too long for my personal tastes."

"That is understandable, Iris. A shame, but I thank you for helping Mailan arrive safely. If you ever change your mind, know we will gladly have you with us."

All eyes turned next to Tennor, who looked uncomfortable, "I would like to take slightly longer to think it over," he admitted, "Though it is surely a tempting offer, your majesty."

Zelda looked him up and down before nodding, "Thank you for considering the offer. Nothing is more important than protecting what remains of Hyrule. Now, if you would excuse me… I'm feeling tired, so despite this cutting our meeting short, I'm afraid I must rest."

Mailan was suddenly concerned. It was still quite early, and it wasn't like Zelda to take naps. She immediately knew something was amiss. Once her comrades had left, she followed Zelda to the bed in the back of the room, "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, my dear. I just need a short rest… yes, that's all. Don't mind it."

Now that she was looking for something wrong, Mailan began to notice other changes she'd ignored in her haze of the past day. Zelda had lost a lot of weight. Her skin was paler than usual. They wouldn't be noticeable to the average person, but to someone who knew Zelda well, it was alarming.

Mailan walked closer and put her hand on Zelda's cheek, "There's more happening than that, isn't there?"

Zelda looked away from her. It was an expression she'd never seen her lover wear before, and it caught her off guard than anything else ever could:

Fear.

"You… you're infected?"

Slowly, Zelda nodded, "I can only assume that the Triforce is keeping me from going down the same path as the rest of those who were affected, but it still takes its toll on me."

Mailan leaned down and kissed Zelda softly, "We know where he is, Zelda. If we can find him, maybe he can help you."

Zelda smiled softly, "I hope so. I am sorry for not telling you before, but I did not wish for you to be as afraid as you are now."

"I'm not afraid." Mailan replied, "And I won't let anything happen to you."

Zelda nodded, but the fear in her eyes remained there. Mailan could not imagine Zelda holding it in, day in and day out, not being able to let it out without fear of disrupting the entire town.

"Make preparations," Zelda told her, "The elder and I will speak this afternoon. I shall speak to him of our decision, and then we shall be on our way by dinner."

Mailan nodded.

"I like your friends, Mailan. If you would like them to join us, you may request it of them with my blessing. They know how to keep a secret.."

Mailan wasn't sure what that meant, but she nodded, "As you wish."


	11. Paradise Lost

_I've actually had this chapter written for weeks, but because of school and stuff I haven't gotten around to posting it. Now that I'm almost to the end of the term, it's time to start catching you guys up._

 _Updated 8 January 2019_

* * *

Mailan found Tennor and Iris walking alongside the border wall. With them, as seemed to be the constant case during their short time here, was Dente. The gravedigger was the first to notice her, and he gave her a wide grin, but it faded a little when he noticed the serious look on her face.

"What seems to be on your mind?" the long-haired man asked, alerting the other party members to her presence.

"The Queen and I are leaving the city," Mailan told him flatly, "We have matters we need to attend to. Iris, Tennor, I've been authorized to offer you both the chance to join us as members of her royal escort."

All three of them gave surprised reactions. Dente in particular looked worried.

"But… but she can't!" he replied, "This village is one of the last safe havens in all of Hyrule! If anyone else were leaving I would have no qualms, but Queen Zelda is arguably the most principal personage among us! What if she's killed? No offense to your skills or anything, but this is the safest place for her.'

This surprised Mailan. She had those same thoughts echoing in the back of her mind, but she hadn't realized just how much Dente seemed to care for her lover's wellbeing.

"While I agree that this place seems safer than anywhere I've been in quite a long time," Tennor admitted, "If she has her mind set on leaving, then it would be my honor to make sure she stays safe on her trip."

Both Mailan and Tennor looked expectantly at Iris, who nodded.

Dente sighed, composing himself, "Well, if I can't keep you folks out of danger, would you at least be interested in some provisions for your journey?"

Mailan gave him a thankful smile, "That would be very helpful, thank you."

"I can have them come morning. Just take another day or so to rest up and get prepared. I don't know what business her majesty has to attend to, but surely it can wait slightly longer?"

"I'm sure she'd be happy to wait for something like that."

"I suppose I should begin my work quickly then. I have plenty on my plate today, and I want to make sure you get your rations in a timely fashion. And so I must bid you all adieu ."

He jogged away, then after a short distance slowed to a walk, obviously regretting his decision to run. The gravedigger looked back and noticed everyone staring at him, and gave a sheepish grin before disappearing into the village proper.

The rest of the day was spent in preparation for their journey. True to his word, Dente delivered their rations just before dinnertime, to much gratitude from the group. He really did seem torn up that they were leaving; Mailan could only guess that he had enjoyed having the company. She hadn't noticed anyone spending time with him during meals or visiting him in the graveyard. It seemed like he was on the edges of society here. It almost made her sad, but she understood the point of keeping the group small.

Finally, at the end of the long day, they went to bed, utterly exhausted. Mailan sank deep into her bed, content with knowing that everything was going according to plan. She was ready to wake up the next morning to the light of the sun and begin an adventure with her beloved. But when she woke up, it wasn't to the sun, but instead a scream.

At first she thought she'd dreamed it, but as she shifted between various states of awareness, she began to hear more and more screams. Quickly grabbing her sword, Mailan raced out of the building and into a warzone. The wall had given way. The mutants were coming.

This gave her pause. She'd tried to fight these things before, but they'd hardly given it a scratch when teaming up three on one. As she surveyed the city, she figured that the city currently had similar odds, and even more were pouring in as she thought that.

Looking around, she took stock of her surroundings. Tennor had heard the screams about the same time as she had, surprisingly calm for someone who'd been woken up from a deep sleep to the sight of an oncoming zombie horde. The people around them, however, were less level-headed on the matter, pushing past each other and racing for the edge of town. The two guards made eye contact and moved towards each other, standing back to back, their weapons poised in attack formation. A defensive stance that was common when surrounded by enemy troops. It was usually a last-ditch effort, but the guards were seemingly out of options.

"Everyone!" Tennor yelled, his voice carrying over the crowds of people, "Stop running! We need to work together!"

His words, however, fell on deaf ears, as the people around them continued scrambling for safety.

"It's no use. Their pack mentalityhas taken hold." called a voice from above.

Iris sat on the roof of the building, watching them, obviously unsure about coming down, "They wouldn't listen to anyone, least of all a couple of random people in the middle of a crowd."

"What would you suggest then?" Mailan asked, annoyed at her friend's bluntness.

"They obviously won't work together, so I say we do as they do and flee, though in a more mindful fashion. Avoid the mountains, see if we can make our way to the field."

There was something else going on with Iris she began to realize. Unlike her usual demeanor, Iris's words were tinged with emotion, if not… was that fear?

"Are you alright Iris?"

"I... " Iris's voice cracked a little, "I don't want to become infected." her eyes flashed a look of terror as the hordes grew ever closer.

"Don't worry. You'll be fine. I promise."

Just as she said that, a figure that appeared not too dissimilar from a Zora came towards them. Its skin had turned a sickly green, and its body had bloated, despite the arms and legs retaining a vaguely similar size, coming together to make an equally hilarious and disturbing image. It grabbed a nearby runner, slamming him into the wall of a nearby building. Tennor turned toward it, brandishing his spear, with Mailan taking up the rear guard.

With a loud clang of metal and a pained grunt, the creature dropped the limp corpse of its victim, obviously dazed. Then, a bright yellow light showed from behind it, followed by the creature getting knocked to the ground. Emerging from the other side of the creature, to everyone's shock, was Dente, wielding a hefty shovel and a wicked grin. Behind him, Zelda was hitting any creatures that came near them with a ball of magic. Dente seemed surprised to see them for a second, but his smile shown even brighter after the initial shock. He waved them over, and as suggested, the group came, Iris leaping roof to roof as Tennor and Mailan simply ran for the pair.

"What happened to your guards?" Mailan asked as they got closer.

"I couldn't find them when I got up. They must've perished before I could leave the building… the poor souls."

"It was only by chance the Queen and I came across each other," Dente admitted, "I probably wouldn't have made it this far without her."

"We can save conversation for later," Tennor reminded them, "We need to get out."

"Right," Mailan replied, "I'll take up the lead. Tennor and Dente, you get behind me," she craned her neck upwards, "Iris, how're you holding up?"

"About as well as I can," the ninja admitted.

"Do you think you can… do whatever you did the other day to get out of here? And could your bring Zelda with you?"

"I can try," Iris promised, "But I haven't done it with another person in quite a while," she gave a wary glance down at the ground before nimbly dropping off the building.

"Meet us out in the field. Where we left that mutant the other day."

Awkwardly grabbing Zelda's arm, Iris nodded to her before disappearing in a flash of light.

"All right," Mailan told the group, "I'll start towards the main exit. Don't focus on killing mutants… just on getting out alive. We're no good to anybody if we die."

The three fought their way through. Luckily for them, it seemed that the mutants were more interested in less aggressive meals. Outside of a minor scuffle with the shriveled remnants of a Hylian, which seemed to be going after them more because they were slow and it was hopelessly decomposed, the group was somehow able to reach the main plaza near the front gate. The group neared safety, but their hopes fell when they saw the gate.

Guarding the gate was a huge, lumbering mutant. Its skin was a sickly yellow-brown, and unlike the others, its hulking form seemed to fit with its body type.

A goron.

The things were scary enough on their own, without the additional strength and endurance from being infected. People around them would approach the center, see it, and turn around to look for another exit. There was no way anyone would be able to scratch its rock-hard skin.

"Any suggestions?" Mailan asked, watching the creature. Seeming to hear her voice, the Goron-mutate turned towards them and began to lumber in their direction.

"We run!" Dente yelled, breaking rank and running towards the wall while the thing focused its gaze on Mailan and Tennor.

Mailan knew she and Tennor wouldn't be able to do anything to the thing, but they couldn't just give up. They needed to get out.

"Go!" Tennor told her, "I'll keep it distracted!"

"But you won't be able to beat it!"

"I know. But you're more important right now. Zelda needs you."

Mailan stared at him for a second before whispering, "I'll get you out of this," and following Dente's path.

While the Goron began to turn towards the fleeing Mailan, Tennor took a large rock and threw it at the creature's head. It didn't cause any damage, but that snapped its attention back to the appetizing bit of seafood on its plate.

Reaching the gateway, Mailan stared back at Tennor and the Goron. She had a plan, but she didn't know for sure if it would work.

Doing as Tennor had done, she threw a large rock at the Goron. She was a little less accurate, hitting its neck, but still getting its attention. However, this new prey was much farther away than the old one, and the single-minded beast knew just how to catch up. Rolling into a grotesque, ball-like form, it began to follow her.

Mailan ran down the stairs, not sure how it would work, as she heard the thing roll down behind her. With sickening crunches, it bounced down the stone steps, wildly out of control. Which was exactly what she wanted.

Ahead of them, seemingly an infinite distance away, was her goal: the river. If Goron mutates were anything like their living counterparts, then that would be the only chance they had to get rid of it for good.

As the goron struggled to keep control as it roughly landed in the field, Mailan was able to regain some of the distance she'd lost going down the stairs, but in seconds it was on her again. Its stomach gurgled loudly, turning Mailan's stomach.

It was coming closer… closer…

Now!

She jumped aside, away from the river. Unfortunately, the much faster and heavier Goron was unable to do the same, its momentum still going forward.

Mailan heard a loud splash, and felt cold water cover her. It should've been refreshing, but somehow the smell from the Goron had permeated the liquid, making her gag on impact. But she was alive.

Somehow.


	12. Better Than Nothing

_Apparently I forgot to upload the last chapter, so I'll release two chapters at once this time. Yaaaaaaay_

* * *

Mailan swam to the shore and rolled up onto it, completely exhausted. That had taken a lot out of her. Once she was safe, she warily looked back into the river. It was dark and the water was deep, so she wasn't able to see the creature itself, but she could only imagine what it looked like down there as the rough water slowly began to calm. Within a few minutes, once more, the river was still. Still as death.

Standing up and ignoring her aching body, she began walking back towards the stairway to Kakariko. On the way there, she spotted the group. To her relief, nobody seemed to have been harmed in the attack. It seemed that a few more survivors had joined the group too. They all, like her, looked saddened, pained, and exhausted, though her appearance brought joy to a few faces - most of all, that of Zelda. The two of them shared a look that whispered, "I'm glad you're okay". With so many people around them, that was all they were really able to do.

"How many survivors do we have?" she asked as she walked over.

Dente piped up with the answer, "Outside you all, there are around thirty refugees from the village."

"Though sadly far fewer than we'd had before tonight," Zelda finished morosely, "Thank you all for the work you did. Without your help in defending the unarmed and distracting the creatures, I'm sure the casualties would have been much larger."

Everyone sat in silence for a minute, mulling everything over.

"What now?" Tennor asked.

"We've had plans in place just in case," Dente responded, "There are other places for us to found a new encampment. Once we make sure nobody else is coming down, I imagine someone will lead us off to the new location."

"As for us," Iris pointed out, "We should probably get heading towards the woods pretty quickly. As much as you all enjoyed spending time with the townsfolk, we have a job to do.'

Mailan nodded, "Of course."

"I guess I'll be the one to speak to whoever's going to be leading this little brigade about your departure," Dente told them, "It's been a pleasure."

"Wait!" Mailan called, surprising the older man. He turned back to look over his shoulder, "Yes?"

"Would you like to come with us?" Mailan asked.

Dente laughed, "I'm flattered, but I'm simply a gravedigger. I doubt I would be more than a hindrance to your cause."

"I don't think so," Mailan told him, "You proved tonight that you have strength and wits about you. Even if you don't have training in battle, I see potential in you, if you're willing to try."

Dente considered her words for a few moments. When he met her gaze, there was a spark in his eyes, "If you believe in me so much, how could I say no?"

"A pleasure to have you with us then, Mr. Frey," Zelda told him, "Once you announce your intent to join us, then, I guess it's best we get on our way."

Before long, their small group, now featuring Dente, was on the road. Mailan found it interesting looking at how their dynamic was starting to form as more people joined them. At the front was Iris, scouting ahead, every once in a while looking back to be sure the others were still coming. As much as Mailan tried, she was still so distant from everyone else.

In the back marched Tennor and Dente. The two of them had gotten along quite well in Kakariko, and having the grizzled gravedigger joined them seemed to lighten Tennor's spirits quite a bit. She could only imagine how lonely Tennor must've been at Lake Hylia, alone with only his thoughts and regrets. It seemed like he really needed a friend right now. And thankfully, Dente seemed to be providing exactly what he needed. The two chatted and laughed, making light of what, to everyone else, was a dark night.

In between those two opposing groups walked Mailan and Zelda, side by side. They were, for the most part, quiet, but in the silence the guard felt a sense of calm rather than foreboding.

The attack had occurred only an hour or so before sunrise, so it wasn't long into their hike that the yellow rays of Din's warmth began to creep over the hills in the distance, lighting up the vast field. A little after the sun was fully free of its nightly imprisonment, they decided to take a break. Their adrenaline had finally began to wear off from the fight, and one by one they were starting to realize that they were still exhausted. Not long after, they chose to take a rest.

"So tell me," Tennor said as he sat down, "Who exactly is it we're going to track down? I know he's supposed to be able to help us fix everything, but that's really as far as my knowledge reaches."

"His name is Rasul Kazad," Zelda replied, "He was a hero during the Civil War. His actions led to the end of the war."

"He was Hylian then?"

"A dwarf actually," Dente replied, surprising everyone, "He's a foreigner who got caught up in the war by accident," in reply to the questioning gazes of the others, he gave a sly smile, "I haven't met the man personally, but he spent some time in Kakariko after the war, so a few of the older villagers mentioned him."

Zelda nodded, impressed, "Yes. He came to Hyrule from across the sea in the latter stages of the war. He's a cunning warrior and, more importantly, a gifted mage. It's my hope that he has the ability to make a cure for the disease."

"And why would he be in the woods?" Iris asked, "I didn't think anyone but the Kokiri could live there."

"As rumor goes," Mailan told her, "Rasul's brothers came to Hyrule about the same time as him, but the three were separated upon reaching Hyrule. After a few years, he was able to track one of them down in the Kokiri Village, and chose to stay there with them. But that was years ago."

"You talked about multiple brothers? What of the others?"

"Nobody has heard from the third brother since they arrived. My best guess is that he died."

"So you're saying," Iris leaned forward, "We're tracking down a legend from decades ago who _may or may not_ be where we're going and _might_ have the ability to do what you _hope_ can save Hyrule."

The statement was followed b a few seconds of silence.

"It's better than nothing," Tennor admitted.


	13. The Man in the Haze

_Sorry it's been a month without updating. I had the last month off school and work, but without that structure I have no drive to do literally anything. It's a vicious cycle. Either way, here's the chapter._

 _For those of you wondering about why the series title is "Legends of Rasul"... well, it's time to find out._

* * *

Mailan had never actually been to the Kokiri Village. The forest people had always isolated themselves from external affairs, so Zelda had never found it necessary to meet with them. She was very interested in seeing what lay within this hidden village, but at the same time remained cautious.

Upon travelling through the giant log that served as the hidden entrance to the village, they noted the first sign that reminded them that all was not as it seemed. Just past the first log sat a small forest-filled canyon, surrounding yet another rocky outcropping with a giant log. At the bottom of the canyon set decaying wood looped together with rope. It was obviously meant to be a bridge, but it had since been relieved of that duty.

"Is this the only way in?" Dente asked, quite concerned at the lack of footholds in front of them.

"I'm afraid so," Zelda replied, "The Kokiri didn't wish for more ways to enter their domain. Without this bridge, the Forest is effectively separated from the rest of the world."

"So they're probably safe?" Mailan asked hopefully, "They cut the bridges before one of them made it over?"

A brilliant mind was clearly turning behind the queen's soft blue eyes as she spoke, "Possibly," Zelda admitted, though her regal face whispered words of otherwise.

"Everyone be on your guard then," Tennor told the group, "How are we going to get over?"

Everyone stopped to think. This really wasn't an issue they expected to have. Hostile locals? Sure. Mutants? Of course! But a lack of bridges? You didn't exactly leave home thinking of that as a possibility.

Zelda knelt along the edge of the cliff and whispered a silent prayer. A light shone down in front of her, filling the gap with brightness. When it receded, a rainbow bridge crossed over the canyon. The colors were somewhat faded, but it still held strong. Confidently, the Queen strode across.

On the other side, she turned around, "Quickly now! The power of the sages is not as strong as it once was!"

Not needing much else to push him along, Dente began jogging over the bridge, followed soon by Tennor and Mailan. Iris crossed over behind them, peering down over the edge but walking strongly. Almost as soon as the masked girl reached the end, the bridge shattered into shards of magic, falling to the forest floor. This was the first time she'd seen the princess do such a thing, and it actually stunned Mailan for a moment, though she quickly returned to her senses and peered through the opening to the village.

The encampment was empty, but not peaceful. It looked… dead. Like a long line of dollhouses. It was quiet, in a way that felt stilted and unnatural. It sent a shiver down Mailan's spine.

"Where is everyone?" she asked

"Among the hordes more than likely," Tennor told her, a hint of sadness in his voice "It seems that the plague reached the Kokiri before the news did."

"But then… who cut the bridge?"

Almost as soon as she said that, an arrow whizzed by Mailan's face, embedding itself in the wall behind her. Dropping to the ground, Mailan surveyed their surroundings, but saw no one still.

"There!" Dente suggested, pointing to a window hewn into a nearby building, out of which sat a crossbow.

Zelda stood up quickly, "We mean you no harm. I am Zelda, Queen of Hy-" she didn't even wait to finish her sentence before dropping again, another bolt flying out and hitting the same spot in the opposing building, splitting the first projectile in two.

Mailan was officially concerned.

"Mailan, take the queen out of that madman's range!" Tennor shouted, "Iris, the two of us are going to take down that bowman. Dente! Keep an eye out for any further dangers!"

And that's how things worked. Mailan and Zelda backed around the corner, out of sight of the window, while the strike force pushed inside the building. They broke down the door and ran inside and up the a minute, Mailan dared to peek around the corner, expecting to see fighting inside. Instead, all she saw was smoke coming out - and lots of it. She couldn't make much out, when suddenly a figure lept out the window, dropping the bow and suddenly somehow carrying a hammer. It dropped a few seeds that looked not too dissimilar to the Deku Nuts she herself carried, enveloping the ground area in smoke as well as the building her friends were in.

"Dente, look out!" Mailan yelled. She couldn't see anyone. Even Zelda had seemingly gotten lost in the haze. She stumbled around, trying to find anyone, eventually noticing a figure ahead of her. She sprinted towards it, only to stop when she began to make out details.

The person in front of her - it was definitely a regular person, not a mutant - stood only a few inches shorter than her. He had long, oily black hair, and a beard that reached down to his waist. He wore a long robe, hiding his form beneath it. What scared her the most, though, were his eyes. They were silver and wild. Unblinking… yet calculating. She felt as if her opponent was sizing her up.

"Are you Rasul?" she asked carefully.

The man said nothing.

"Are you the hero Queen Zelda spoke of?"

"Zelda…" the man whispered, gripping his hammer firmly. A flicker of recognition ran through his eyes, but nothing more.

"Mr. Kazad, we need your help…"

Upon hearing her say that, the bearded man charged forward. Mailan retrieved her sword and struck at her aggressor, who simply jumped over the blade and swung at her head. Thankfully, the hammer didn't quite swing far enough, and she dodged it. Before Rasul could attack again, she slid her legs beneath her opponent, knocking him to the ground and the hammer out of his hand.

Mailan planted her foot on the man's back, "My name is Mailan. I serve Queen Zelda… " she began.

"Valleo!" the dwarf yelled, struggling under her foot. The smoke in front of them billowed a little, revealing the hammer flying through the air. It returned on its own to the dwarf's hand, and he swung it at Mailan's foot. Pain shot through her body as she heard the crunch of her foot meeting pure steel. Mailan winced in pain as she fell to the ground with a thud. Looking back at the figure that attacked her, she was only able to catch a glimpse before he disappeared into the mist.

* * *

Tennor readied his spear, looking around. He wasn't sure where anyone else was. From somewhere nearby, he heard Mailan yell in pain. He quickly turned towards the sound, only to see the agressing figure approach

"We mean you no harm, Wildman. Stand down"

"Callite Pisci, y benvida tu mort"

The hammer in the man's hand arced in blue lightning as he swung at the Zora knight. Tennor was able to block the blow, but hadn't expected the jolt of electricity that coursed through his spear and into his body the moment their weapons met in combat. Tennor tensed up for a moment, then dropped to the ground. He felt like he could hardly move. His muscles weren't responding. And where did that dwarf disappear to…

Dente was just minding his own business. Or at least that's what he told himself.

 _I'm no threat to him_ , Dente thought, _I can hardly wield a sword. I don't even have a weapon. I'm literally just carrying a shovel. No threat at all._

His nervous smile faded when he noticed movement ahead of him.

"Mailan?"

No response.

"Tennor?"

"Ballo"

"Well then… I don't believe we've been acquainted quite yet. My name's De-"

He stopped as the looming figure raised his hammer.

"Ah… I see. Well then, I'll do my best. You have a hammer, I have a shovel… it seems like time for the battle of the tools to begin. May the best man win and all that."

It was over quickly.

"That… went about as well as I could hope," the gravedigger admitted, still dazed from being slammed in the face with his own shovel.

* * *

Iris didn't know the location of her companions or her opponent, and that was… concerning. She was used to being the one in the dark, the one hiding in the edges of people's view.

Something moved in the corner of her eye. Pivoting towards it, Iris was barely able to dodge out of the way before a hammer met with the space she had previously stood in. Again and again, Iris dodged, the hammer almost cutting the air in front of her. While the dwarf was fast, she was moreso.

Suddenly, the ground seemed to fall apart beneath her feet. At first, there was solid ground, then just a hole where her foot had been. Despite her best efforts, Iris couldn't stop herself from toppling over.

Quickly scrambling to her feet, the dwarf paused. They met eyes for a second, and Iris noticed something. A snap of recollection. A piece of humanity.

Rasul lowered his hammer and slowly approached Iris. While still on edge, the ninja felt somewhat appeased by the look in his eyes. She walked towards him. Maybe something about her had gotten through to her opponent.

The dwarf opened his mouth and whispered, "I… Impa?"

A hidden piece of anger inside Iris's mind suddenly flared up. She raised her foot and kicked Rasul square in the jaw, sending him toppling over.

"I.. am not… Impa."


	14. Hyrule's Last Hope

_In this chapter we hear Rasul talk. Storm, who created Rasul, wanted to use his own version of dwarven. It's kind of a mix of modern Spanish and Latin. I've done my best to write it, but I haven't taken a Spanish class in four years and I never learned Latin, so it's kinda two people writing that part. We may just switch to Tolkeinien Dwarvish. We'll figure that out soon enough._

* * *

Slowly the group was able to get to their feet, but they were a pitiful sight.

Mailan was limping. While her foot wasn't broken, it had bruised up terribly, and it didn't make for easy walking.

Tennor's heart was still racing. He swore he could still feel the energy coursing through his body, and his senses seemed to be on edge.

Dente was obviously concussed. He was doing his best to help his comrades, but the man really shouldn't have been standing up.

Iris was simply pissed. She'd hogtied the dwarf, taken his hammer, and left him on the ground where he'd fallen.

Zelda was seemingly the only one who was unharmed and unbothered. She made her way through the smoke when the voices began calling out. As they encircled the one known as Rasul, for the first time they each got a clear look at the man who had nearly wiped out their entire party.

He was dwarven, that was for sure; his beard and build gave him away. But only partly it seemed. For one, he was taller than most dwarves - only around a half foot shorter than Mailan. Not only that, his arms were covered in tattoos. Now, this was normal for dwarves. They often enjoyed decorating themselves with symbols that held deep meaning to them, as a way of making their friends and family a part of their own being. However, one specific tattoo was notable.

Just visible beneath his sleeve was the unmistakable eye and teardrop that was the sign of the Sheikah clan. While he couldn't see Iris's face, it wasn't hard for Tennor to tell that the sight of that tattoo caught Iris off guard. Honestly, it was a surprise to everyone. Even Zelda's eyes widened a little upon seeing it.

Finally, Dente broke the silence, "As interesting as his body art may be, my friends, just staring at him all day isn't getting us anywhere. Let's make ourselves at home while we wait for him to get up, hm?"

Zelda nodded, "Of course. Thank you Dente," she surveyed their surroundings, "Tennor? Go see if you can find which building Mr. Kazad was staying in. Iris, go on patrol, make sure there aren't any other mutants about. Dente... " she gave him an almost motherly look, despite the gravedigger being a fair amount older, "Just go sit down. You do not look well."

Dente gave a small bow, a look of relief on his tired face, as the three set off to do as they were commanded.

Mailan looked at her love, lines of worry caressing the young knight's face. Her color had faded more even than it had the day before. Her face more pallid, her lips less rosey. Her eyes, usually full of wisdom, felt distracted. She took Zelda's hand, "I think you need to go sit down too."

Zelda sighed, "Yes… I believe you're right…" the tone in Zelda's voice was worrisome, but with Rasul as he was, there was nothing they could do, "Take care of him," Zelda gestured to their captive, "Find him a comfortable place to rest until Tennor finds his bed."

Mailan looked at Zelda once more, and then leaned in for a kiss. The two shared a not quite long enough moment before being interrupted by a giggling.

Turning towards the noise, they saw Rasul was awake and laughing at them, "Reina et puella in caritate," he made an infantile smooching look with his mouth and continued laughing.

Mailan looked down at him in annoyance, "Shut up."

Rasul's laughing slowed a little, and he looked up at Mailan, almost confused.

"Quid?"

Mailan knelt down, "Do you promise not to attack us again?"

Rasul continued with his stare, repeating the words slowly to himself, as if trying to remember something.

Sighing, the girl pointed to her wounded foot, then touched the red mark on Rasul's face, then shook her head fiercely.

Rasul nodded, seemingly a little relieved to understand, "Aye, no morta."

Mailan hesitantly untied the ropes and Rasul sat up, immediately reaching into his pocket and pulling out a pipe. It was an intricate piece of handiwork, carved from a gemstone with a wooden shaft inserted in its back. He pulled out of his pouch three purple petals before snapping his fingers, lighting the pipe. Taking a long drag, the bald man expelled out of his mouth a noxious cloud of lavender smoke, which unfortunately traveled in the general direction of Mailan.

The smoke smelled foul. The only word that sprang to mind was dank - wet and dirty. The girl coughed. Her head was spinning, the ground looked so far away... she'd only heard of vertigo before, and she imagined that this was how it felt.

And then she threw up.

Rasul let out another deep, hearty laugh, then sprang to his feet. Mailan tried to follow, but she couldn't move very far without falling over. It was getting better slowly - she hadn't been completely taken in by the leaf-smoke - but she still could only watch from a lopsided angle as the dwarf scurried back into the village.

Nothing. Not a single building in this city looked like it had been touched in months, if not longer. The buildings were almost creepy to stand in. They felt unnaturally silent.

Emerging from a large house with a rocky front yard, Tennor noticed Rasul walking through the city. He didn't look angry anymore though, and there was no sign of a struggle. Zelda followed behind a little ways, giving a nod that said, "He's fine." Curious, the Zora approached the pair.

"Ballo pisci," the two men stared at each other for a moment. Rasul's eyes were almost unnatural. They were creamy white, as if he were blind, but it was obvious that he could still see quite well. Between that and the fact that they were shot with blood, the dwarf looked like a man possessed… and then Tennor realized that the eyes weren't really focusing. It suddenly hit him - Rasul was inebriated. It wasn't alcohol, that was for sure, but this dwarf was on something.

This was the hero who was going to help them save Hyrule? A drugged-up, unkempt hermit in a dead city?

As if sensing Tennor's frustration, Rasul turned away and began to continue his trek briskly. Following along with the Queen, the two sharing nothing but confused glances, they pursued this new party member through town, past the shop, over a lake, and down a narrow ravine. All signs of civilization disappeared as they traveled. Were they still in Kokiri Village?

Turning a corner, both Zelda and Tennor stopped in surprise. They had entered a large clearing, in the middle of which sat a giant tree - larger than any Tennor had ever set eyes on. It looked long-dead, its bark drabber than it should be, almost stonelike.

Then he noticed it. The face. And it looked so... sad.

Once more, the guard and the queen gave each other bewildered looks before following Rasul through the gaping maw of the Great Deku Tree.

While on the outside the tree was obviously massive, it seemed more so from the inside. The cavernous interior went up as far as his eyes could see, maybe even farther. The ground they walked on, while all a cambrian wood, was mossy and squished softly beneath their feet. What looked like a large hole in the middle was patched up with an enormous amount of wood, with no seeming entrance to whatever cavern was beneath them. Rasul himself continued to the far side, and to an odd bedroom-like setup, with a small table and a bed.

"So this is where you live?" Zelda asked as they caught up, surprised, "I'm ashamed to say that I never knew the Great Deku Tree in life, though I know that the Kokiri revered him as a father to their whole clan... though it seems in these days, nothing is sacred any more."

Ignoring the obvious distaste in her voice, Rasul reached beneath the bed and pulled out a large bag full of purple leaves. He held it up to his guests, as if offering them some. While it confused Tennor, Zelda quickly shook her head, which he took as a sign, also declining the gift. Rasul shrugged and began to load it into his pipe.

"Rasul Kazad..." Zelda spoke up finally. Her brows were knit together in conversation. She was choosing her words more carefully than she possibly ever had before, "The two of us were only ever tangentially aware of each other, but General Brann spoke well of your time together, fighting during the war of my father's making. I humbly thank you for your service to our nation."

No heed was paid.

"However, as you know, times have changed. While I hesitate to ask it of someone retired for so long, Hyrule once more has need of your skills. It's been said that you're both a powerful mage and alchemist, and we were hoping that, with your skill, you may be able to find a cure for the curse rampaging through our kingdom."

Finally, Rasul looked at them. But not with hope, or willingness, but mild annoyance. He waved them away, "Solo," he stated simply, "Lejos."

The queen looked down, dejected. Tennor didn't believe in much coming from this man, but he also didn't want the last slip of hope to disappear forever.

"Admittedly, we did just invade his home and tie him down. I doubt he's particularly happy with us. Maybe if we came back tomorrow, he would be more willing to listen?"

Zelda nodded, but even she struggled to hide the fear in her eyes. However, struggles are temporary, and within a moment her look was as steely as ever, as if she had never known defeat, "Excellent point. Let's leave him be then... come along," she turned heel and strutted back to the village.

The others weren't particularly excited about having to wait for another day for Rasul's answer, but they were accepting. At the very least the village seemed safe. The destruction of the bridge meant that no infected could get in, and with one man living here alone for so long it seemed that there weren't many coming in through the forest either. So each one claimed a house, and after some time, they one by one entered a fitful sleep.


	15. A Dwarven Apology

_I'm on Spring Break, so I'll try to write up a lot more while I can. Thanks to all of you for your patience!_

* * *

Mailan woke up at the break of dawn, the moment the sunlight began to slide through the open window. The kokiri-sized beds already present in the house had been far too small for her - or anyone else - to fit in. While she didn't know what the others did, she and Zelda had taken the bedsheets and their bedrolls in order to make their best approximation of a bed on the wooden floor. It wasn't perfect, but it was far more comfortable than traveling as they had been.

Moving quietly so as not to awaken the sleeping queen beside her, Mailan poked her head out the door.

The village was still quiet, but it seemed a little less dismal than the day before. As if some malevolent spirit had been drawn away, for the first time in ages, the calls of birds sailed through the soft summer breeze. It was peaceful.

Out of the corner of her eye, Mailan noticed something watching her. Jumping at the realization, she turned quickly towards the figure, only to see Rasul sitting on one a nearby roof, deep in thought. She slowly approached the half-dwarf, who was no longer quite as imposing as he'd seemed when they met the day before, and cleared her throat, "Mr. Kazad? Uh… may I call you Rasul?"

He glanced down at the woman calling his name. A flicker of recognition went through his eyes, but no reply came. The two stared at each other for some time, each one trying to make out something of the other person. To gain some insight on why they were doing what they were doing. Finally, Rasul shook his head and stood up, walking away. Instead of following, Mailan just watched him go. For the first time, she realized that Rasul wasn't just angry. He seemed more... sad. Not in the sense of "what a poor thing", but moreso depressed.

Maybe there was more going on with him than anyone realized.

As the morning went on, the others slowly awoke. First came Tennor, not long after Mailan arose. Then was Iris - finally comfortable enough to walk over to them rather than just appearing out of nowhere. Some time later, Zelda joined the group. Dente was the last up, mumbling something about gravediggers being nocturnal creatures (he had obviously not slept well).

The meals Dente had packed served as welcome starts to the morning for everyone. He hadn't had the time to grab as much as they'd hoped, however, and it seemed they would need to go hunting soon, which the group agreed wouldn't be too much of an issue, what with their assembled backgrounds. Finally, when everyone was fed and conscious, they approached the tree.

Upon arrival, the group found then that, overnight, a makeshift door had been installed in the plant's gaping maw, on which was nailed a note. Mailan pulled it off the door and glanced it up and down.

"What does it say?" Iris pushed.

"I... I don't know," Mailan finally admitted, "It isn't written in Hylian. It's some kind of runic alphabet. I can't make it out."

She passed the note to Zelda, who tried to read it to equal success, "While I have become fluent in most of Hyrule's native languages, I can't say this is one I recognize."

Tennor and Iris failed to read it as well, but help came from what some might expect to be the most unlikely source.

"It's dwarven," Dente announced proudly, having peeked over the knight's shoulder to catch a look at the note.

The entire crew turned to face the cunning linguist in their midst, "Dwarven?" Tennor asked, "You read Dwarven?"

"Not well I admit, but I have dealt with my fair share of dwarves over the years. I think I can make at least some of this out," he squinted at the page, "It's... an apology note I think. It opens with one at least. And he goes on to say that he... cannot help anyone, I think? He gives reasons - at least I assume them to be reasons - but most of those terms are beyond my level of comprehension."

Mailan thought back to what she'd seen that morning. How Rasul had seemed to her. Things were slowly starting to come together in her mind.

Shattering Mailan's thoughts, Tennor roughly pulled on the door. It was locked. He pounded anyways, rather annoyed at the circumstances, "We know you're in there!"

Quickly, Mailan grabbed his hand, "That isn't going to help. Let me try," she walked to the door and said, "Rasul... we know how you feel. But you can help us. I know it. You just need to give it a shot."

Nothing.

They continued knocking for what felt like hours, but still no response came. With each passing hour, the queen became increasingly morose. Eventually, it seemed that even the great Zelda had given up, saying, "It seems that General Kazad would like to be left alone, and if he has continued for this long, our continued attempts will do nought but waste our breath."

Unhappily, the group agreed, and began the slow trek back to the village proper. After a short discussion, they came to a joint conclusion: for the time being, everyone would stay in the Kokiri Village. It was a safe place for them to heal and replenish their food supplies. With any luck, before they had completed their tasks, Rasul would finally give in and accept giving them aid. And if he did not, then, in the words of Zelda herself, "There would be no reason for us to continue wasting away our lives begging at his doorstep."

And so, they entered what appeared to be a new normal. Every day, one of the more able-bodied members of the group would go hunting, bringing back fish, game, or edible plants for everyone to eat. Meanwhile, the remaining two would aid Dente in his revision projects. It seemed that, somehow, the gravedigger was a good planner in regards to home design. Using wood from around the forest, he was able to help to bring the houses into a shape that would allow for people of their sizes to survive within the city limits. This included raising rooves, widening footpaths, and, of course, new beds.

But every day that they went on, Zelda would get sicker and sicker, even to the point where those who hadn't been told of Zelda's situation were becoming aware that something was wrong.

And then… the unthinkable happened.


	16. Too Late

_This is a bit of a heavy scene, but it really pushes forward the plot and character development._

 _I also have had no proofreaders for this chapter. So be warned._

* * *

One day turned into two, turned into a week, which continued on to even longer. Once the trees had begun to fade into drabness, Tennor had made it clear that he was tired of waiting, and considered all the time they'd waited to be a waste. But Mailan hadn't been as willing to give up. It had been quite the argument, but eventually he relented, and continued to wait impatiently.

Mailan herself had had similar feelings, But whenever she did, the guard thought back on that brief moment she'd shared with Rasul, so long ago now... she felt as if she knew him. She understood him. And she trusted that he would come around in time.

Iris, without words as she was, actually did disappear a few times, for days or weeks at a time. But, invariably, she would always end up returning to the village before too much time had passed. She never said why she left, nor why she returned, but Mailan had a sneaking suspicion that she was enjoying the group more than she let on.

Dente didn't seem to mind the wait though. He would often lament on having to wait for the dwarf, but come Tennor's rants, he would always take Mailan's side. Despite his almost parodic assuredness, it felt like he didn't want to leave.

And through it all, the man in the tree remained silent.

The group's patience was not the only thing Rasul had taxed. Zelda's health, too, had worsened, and by the time of the Equinox, the queen was unable to travel, so bad had her symptoms become. By that time, even Mailan had to wonder whether or not she'd misjudged Rasul.

Some days later, Mailan woke up late in the night. Something felt off.

Reaching across the bed, she noticed that the other half of it was empty. Mailan shot up in surprise, head on swivel. A hacking noise turned her attention to the other side of the hut, where the familiar figure of Zelda was leaning against the wall. The queen shook with each heavy hack, her entire body convulsing.

"I didn't realize you'd gotten up," Mailan said, pulling herself out from beneath the sleeping bag.

Hearing her voice, Zelda turned to face her, that same kind smile pulling at each cheek. Even in the dark, it shone brightly.

"I'm sorry I awoke you, Mailan," she apologized, "I didn't want to wake you up because of my coughing... but it seems I didn't make it as far as I thought I would," Mailan moved to help her, but the blond woman shook her head, "Go back to bed, Mailan. I'll be with you once I"ve gotten this out of my system."

While concerned, Mailan submitted to her queen's request, returning to a sleeping position. Of course, the position itself did nothing, and she listened in for what felt like infinite minutes as her beloved made a cacophony of noises, none of them beautiful or comforting. Eventually, the sounds ceased, and Mailan heard footsteps shuffling back towards the bed.

Instead of laying down, Zelda simply sat on the bed next to her lover, resting a hand on Mailan's upper back, "I'm sorry to put you through this."

Quickly, Mailan turned around to face her, "No need to apologize. You're worth every moment of struggle."

The two shared a long moment as they stared at each other. Slowly, Mailan reached up and touched Zelda's cheek. While she couldn't see them in the darkness, Mailan knew the feeling of tears well.

"I love you," Zelda whispered, "You always have been - and forever be - my gallant knight."

Mailan began to feel tears at the corner of her eyes as realization hit her, "No..."

"I'm sorry, Mailan," the younger woman felt her lover's hand slide over her brow to her forehead, and then...

Blackness.

Mailan woke up hours later in a cold sweat. Already sun was streaming in through the windows. The air inside the hut was warm, but Mailan's blood was as cold as the bed beside her.

Not even bothering to grab her weapon or don any form of armor, Mailan raced outside, ignoring the bright sun burning into her eyes, and she just ran. Away from the village, towards the forest beyond. She couldn't tell how fast she'd run, nor if she'd passed anyone. She simply continued forward, her mind blind to all but one clear fact.

So blind was she that she failed to notice Iris until the two women were nearly face to mask. Surprised by the seemingly sudden appearance of the ninja, Mailan fell backwards, instinctually reaching for the weapon that usually sat at her hip. Upon recognizing the form though, Mailan's grip on the empty air loosened some - until she saw the lacy handkerchief in her companion's hand.

Moving faster than even Iris' reflexes, Mailan snatched up the handkerchief, bringing it close to her face. Slowly, she unfolded its neatly pressed corners, to find, in the center, that her worst fears had come to light, as her eyes alit upon two red splotches.

"I was out hunting when I..." came the obscured voice of Iris, but it stopped upon seeing the dead look in Mailan's eyes, "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

"You aren't the one who needs to be sorry."

Iris had to sprint in hopes of staying anywhere near Mailan as she ran towards the husk of the Great Deku Tree. But unfortunately, silence was her forte, not speed, so over time she slowly fell farther and farther behind the angry and grieving guardswoman.

Reaching the door on the tree, Mailan hit it with full force, feeling it shake beneath her, "YOU SON OF A BITCH!" she yelled, her voice choking up, "She's gone! You could have helped her! You could have saved her life! You could have..." her words began to slur into nothingness as Mailan collapsed, weeping, "She's gone..."

A comforting hand tapped the girl on the shoulder. Turning around, she hoped to see Zelda smiling down at her, hoping beyond hope that she was wrong. Depressingly, it was only the cold, stony face of Iris's mask that looked down at her. Shakily, Iris kneeled down, until their faces were at the same level.

"I'm sorry…" Iris whispered, "I don't know how to…" as usual, Iris's voice faded into silence. But, for once, it wasn't because she had nothing to say. It was because she didn't know what to say, even though she wanted to.

Seemingly without better ideas, Iris slowly reached up and, to Mailan's surprise, lowered her hood and, with some hesitation, finally removed the stone mask from her face.

The two women had known each other for months, but this was the first time Iris's face had been revealed to Mailan, and the site of it shocked her.

Despite remaining behind the mask all summer, Iris's face was still a few shades darker than anyone else in the group. That contrasted with the pale white hair that framed it, which seemed to be tied back behind her head.

Iris's eyes were the most shocking and telling part of her being. They were red. Not as if she'd been crying, but the eye color itself - instead of being brown or blue - was a deep crimson. And then it made sense… Iris was Sheikah.

For a moment, Mailan wondered how that was possible - hadn't they almost all been killed during the Civil War? But that only lasted for a few moments before Mailan reached out and hugged Iris closely, her tears dripping onto her friend's shoulder, and the two just held each other, seeking comfort in the empty woods.


End file.
